Looking for a Band-aid

It hit me yesterday. This poverty is insurmountable. I was recently talking aka emailing my best friend, asking about her time in Teach for America. Did she really think it was worthwhile? Of course, because she is a compassionate, optimistic sort of person she saw the contribution she had made in a select few lives of her students and believes that that small number actually adds up to big change. I've always heard that line - well if I change the life of just one person than I will feel like it was worthwhile. It sounds like a beautiful thing. And some statements that are said so simply are actually incredibly difficult to achieve to that level of certainty and feeling of purpose.

I should add that I've been mulling over a new metaphor for Rwandan mentality, which can be relatable to many African countries and their state of aid in development. Disclaimer: I am no history buff nor cultural expert, but here goes. First slavery battered their souls and bodies. It took away their work force and their security and stability. Then you've got colonization. Stripping a place of natural resources while placing the people below second class citizen status is something our Native Americans can understand (Happy Thanksgiving everybody). Civil wars and battles for power have been hampering their progress ever since. You've got drug lords here, terrorist cells there, hatred amongst ethnicities and tribes all over. Faulty politicians and corruption all over.

All the while the rest of the world sees pictures of starving Ethiopian children with flies all over their faces. We can't believe the level of existence these people live. We have guilt/compassion. So we give money, in bulk. We live so far away and can't think of any other way to help. So over comes the money and food and books and the toys and the candy. Like a child whose parents got divorced, we feel that action should be taken so we pile on the material goods. We think this will help. We set up whole institutions to help and help and help. And then some projects stop and some begin. The people begin asking, where is my money, where is my gift? Is it their fault we have made them dependent? and not even on regional or local goods, but on products brought in from far away so its not even helping regional economies. We wonder why they don't feel confident to come up with their own ideas when we've been dictating what we thought best.

So am I saying money donations and clothing donations and food donations and medical donations should stop? No. But where is the balance? Where is the long term plan of building up regional economies? Where is the trust that helping small businesses will do more good than controlling things ourselves? Where's the sustainability?

There are so many factions of development. I'm so glad people follow their passion and do what they believe will help. With a combined effort life truly is improving. Plus kudos to the Rwandan government. Say what you want about the level of freedom or democracy, this country is on the move. Kagame has big plans. But it still doesn't help the little girl that keeps getting admitted to the hospital for malnourishment. And forcing her family to take food donations doesn't solve the problem either. Her parents need help or her whole family or her whole village. Which gets me back to insurmountable. One day at a time, one foot in front of the other. and hopefully I can get myself to that place where I'm glad I helped one person or five people. But right now I'm feeling worthless and more desensitized by the day.